Nursing degree students' clinical placement experiences in Australia: A survey design

Mandatory and statutory compliance screening for undergraduate nursing students in Australia: a review of compliance requirements

Objective Statutory checking requirements for nursing students vary across Australian states and territories. In Australia, predictions of a shortfall of 123,000 full-time equivalent nurses will occur by 2030, emphasising the necessity for standardised policies that enhance processes and address inconsistencies to ensure a qualified and accessible nursing workforce. The objective of this study was to understand the requirements for nursing students' statutory checking across Australian jurisdictions. Methods The study investigated compliance requirements through in-depth pragmatic case study analysis utilising publicly available data from official government sources. Results The study found that nursing students in Australia are mandated by the federal government to undergo statutory checks that are regulated by state and territory laws. All have similarities while varying in cost, processes, and timeframes. Costs varied widely between A$19.90 and A$254 over the course of a 3-year degree. Conclusion This study highlights the inconsistencies regarding nursing students' statutory checking requirements in different jurisdictions in Australia. Various financial and logistical challenges negatively impact nursing students as they prepare for clinical placements. Further examination and potential reforms in healthcare policy to facilitate a smoother transition for nurses entering health care are required.

The lived experience of women studying nursing online in regional, rural and remote areas: an integrative literature review

BACKGROUND

There is a critical shortage of registered nurses working in regional, rural and remote Australia. It is the people from these areas that are most likely to address this shortage. This research therefore sets out to explore the question "what is known about the experiences of regional, rural and remote Australian women undertaking a Bachelor of Nursing program delivered online?".

METHODS

The methodology was an integrative literature review which included: 1) problem identification, 2) literature search, 3) data evaluation, 4) data analysis and 5) conclusion. Articles identified as part of the review explored different aspects of the research question.

RESULTS

Using thematic analysis, it was possible to extrapolate four interrelating themes: (1) juggling 'women's work' and study, (2) the online learning environment is isolating, (3) the cost of clinical placement, and (4) maintaining overall wellness while studying.

CONCLUSION

The literature consistently failed to explore the intersection of the complex challenges facing these students. What is important about this integrative literature review, however, is that the themes identified provide a small and incomplete insight into the experiences of such women, and with a workforce shortage already in play and students continuing to withdraw from their studies, there is a need to find a way to better serve regional, rural and remote Bachelor of Nursing students and their communities.

The effects of workplace violence on nursing students from the perspectives of clinical facilitators or preceptors

BACKGROUND

Violence is well documented in the nursing profession and is compounded by an increasing incidence of workplace violence towards nursing students. Poor clinical experiences where violence is witnessed or experienced have long-term consequences for both the student and the profession.

PURPOSE

This study aimed to ascertain clinical facilitators' perceptions about the impact of workplace violence on nursing students during their clinical placements.

METHODS

Phenomenology guided qualitative research methods were used in this study. Eleven clinical facilitators employed in various South Australian healthcare settings were interviewed, and the qualitative data was transcribed and thematically analysed manually assisted by NVivo 12 software.

RESULTS

Three major themes emerged from the data: Academic and future career impacts, Impact on personal life, and mental and physical health. Clinical facilitators described how baccalaureate nursing students feared for their emotional, mental and physical safety, questioned their career choices and described the impact of violent experiences on their personal lives.

CONCLUSION

Clinical facilitators were often unable to prevent such experiences from happening to nursing students and, at times, felt unprepared or inadequately supported by universities. A combined University and healthcare facility approach that prepares, manages, supports and reduces the incidence of workplace violence for nursing students and clinical facilitators is urgently required to safeguard the mental, physical and emotional health of student nurses and clinical facilitators.

Financial implications of unpaid clinical placements for allied health, dentistry, medical, and nursing students in Australia: a scoping review with recommendations for policy, research, and practice

BACKGROUND

Investing in allied health, dentistry, medical, and nursing undergraduate and postgraduate qualifying education is critical to meet a growing demand on global health care systems. Clinical placements are an integral component of qualifying training and are conventionally unpaid. Widespread economic challenges, attributed to a post-COVID-19 pandemic recovery era and global unrest, have led to growing economic hardship for populations, even in high-income countries like Australia. Allied health, dentistry, medical, and nursing undergraduate and postgraduate students undertaking unpaid clinical placements are not immune from these stressors, which has implications for education providers, ageing populations, the future health care system, and policy-makers. The purpose of this review was to better understand these stressors by scoping the financial implications of unpaid clinical placements for allied health, dentistry, medical, and nursing students in Australian research.

METHODS

The Joanna Briggs Institute's scoping review methodology was used. This involved a search of academic databases and an extensive search of grey literature sources. Literature published from 1 January 2014 was included. Citations were independently screened by two reviewers.

RESULTS

Thirty-three research studies were included. Most studies focused on allied health students (n = 12), followed by nursing (n = 11), and medical students (n = 5), with an additional five studies focused on multiple disciplines, including dentistry. One study had an interventional component. Findings were grouped around four concepts: reliance on self-reported measures of financial implications, costs of unpaid clinical placements for students, implications of costs for students, and an urgent need for targeted strategies to redress.

CONCLUSIONS

The financial implications of unpaid clinical placements for allied health, dentistry, medical, and nursing students in Australia are well-established in research. Impacts are significant for the future of Australia's health workforce and health system. Research findings have been consistent over the past decade in advocating for greater financial support for students undertaking unpaid clinical placements and flexibility of placement models to mitigate the indirect costs of placements. Collaboration between state and federal government, universities, peak professional bodies, and placement host organisations is imperative to implement a suite of strategies to redress the financial burden experienced by students and secure the future of Australia's health workforce.

Preregistration nursing students' motivation for speaking up for patient safety: An integrated literature review

AIM

The aim of this review was to uncover what motivates preregistration nursing students to speak up for patient safety during work integrated learning (WIL) and to develop an evidence-based safety motivation framework for use by educators, clinicians, and preregistration nursing students.

DESIGN

This study used an integrative literature review design guided by Whittemore and Knafl's methodological framework.

DATA SOURCES

Five research databases, CINAHL, MEDLINE, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, were searched for relevant peer reviewed research literature published in English between January 2011 and January 2024. The use of MeSH terms "undergraduate nursing student," or "preregistration nursing student" and "speaking up," "patient safety," and "motivation," resulted in 489 search returns. Following application of filters and inclusion criteria fifty-four (n = 54) studies were identified as being relevant to the research aim.

REVIEW METHODS

The fifty-four (n = 54) research studies were reviewed using the JBI Critical Appraisal tool relevant to the study methodology. The JBI critical appraisal tools are checklists used to determine research quality, validity, results, and meaning. Following appraisal, 27 studies were included in the integrative literature review.

RESULTS

Authentic learning, view of self as a nurse, and positive work integrated learning experiences were found to be the primary motivators for preregistration nursing students to speak up for patient safety during work integrated learning. These three motivators provided the foundation for an evidence-based framework, underpinned by self-determination theory, that can be used to enhance preregistration nursing students' motivation to speak up for patient safety.

CONCLUSIONS

The integrative review design enabled the development of the evidence-based Safety Motivation Framework to support preregistration nursing students' during work integrated learning however missing from the literature was information about the lived experience of this group of students when speaking up for patient safety.

Factors influencing nursing student satisfaction in aged care placements: An Australian cross-sectional study

AIM

This study aimed to investigate factors influencing nursing students' satisfaction with aged care placements.

BACKGROUND

Providing positive clinical experiences in aged care is crucial for students to learn safe, quality care and to foster a sustainable workforce.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study METHODS: Nursing students in nursing degrees participated in the national placement evaluation survey. A total of 2378 responses were extracted from the national clinical placement evaluation survey in 2023. Using multinomial logistic regression, demographics, academic, placement characteristics and placement education quality (clinical environment and learning support) were investigated in relation to three different levels of students' overall satisfaction (low, moderate, high).

RESULTS

Students reported overall satisfaction with their clinical placement, with a mean score of 7.9 (SD=2.1) on a 10-point scale. While most students agreed that they had achieved their learning objectives (90.0 %), they reported limited opportunities to interact with the multidisciplinary team (80.0 %). Further, students reported a relatively negative experience with staff, such as willingness to work with students (78.9 %) and being positive role models (78.9 %). Comparing the low satisfaction group to the moderate satisfaction group, male gender, identifying as an indigenous student and higher academic years increased the odds of being 'least satisfied', whereas international students, whose first language was not English and those with higher perceived placement education quality scores had lower odds of low satisfaction group membership. Conversely, compared with the moderate satisfaction group, those with the highest satisfaction with their clinical placement had a greater odds of being older, an international student and having higher scores in placement quality for the clinical environment and learning support. This model predicted 58.7 % of students' overall satisfaction.

CONCLUSIONS

Positive learning experiences in aged care may promote the importance of practice in this area to new graduates. Despite students' overall positive satisfaction with aged care placements, it is clear there are areas to address: a need to develop a structured approach to enhance aged care clinical experiences, progressive development of learning objectives, enhancing student career preparation and increasing participation in interprofessional collaboration may be useful approaches.

Over twenty years of pedagogical research from Nurse Education in Practice: A bibliometric analysis from 2001 to 2023

AIM

To present a bibliometric overview of pedagogical research from Nurse Education in Practice from its inception in 2001 up until 2023.

BACKGROUND

Bibliometric methods are useful in analysing and understanding the characteristics of scientific publications in a particular field and the influence of specific journals. However, no bibliometric analysis of a nurse education journal has been undertaken to date which would highlight important research trends in this area of nursing and midwifery.

METHODS

A total of 2231 publications (articles and reviews only) from Nursing Education in Practice were retrieved from the Scopus database between 2001 and 2023. Several software applications including Microsoft Excel and VOSviewer were used to undertake bibliometric analysis on this dataset. Publication trends such as country analysis, author analysis, keywords analyses (cluster, content and trend analysis) were generated to help understand the volume and scope of pedagogical nursing and midwifery research in this journal.

RESULTS

There has been a steady increase in pedagogical research from Nurse Education in Practice since its launch in 2001 up until 2018, with a dip in publications in 2022 most likely due to the impact of restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic. The most prolific institutions publishing in the journal are mainly from the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States, with over eighty countries represented demonstrating its global reach and impact. Nursing students, nursing education, simulation and learning are some of the most frequent author keywords.

CONCLUSION

The diversity of pedagogies in nursing and midwifery education, clinical learning and supervision in practice environments, and competence and confidence when transitioning to practice are the most popular research areas in Nurse Education in Practice. This study informs nurse and midwife educators and scholars about the volume and scope of pedagogical research in nursing and midwifery. It also makes recommendations on how to improve aspects of scholarship in education and areas for future pedagogical research.

Nursing students' satisfaction with the quality of clinical placement and their perceptions of preceptors competence: A prospective longitudinal study

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have demonstrated that preceptor training programs enhance preceptor competence and effectiveness. However, there is little research that has investigated the link between preceptor training and the quality of clinical placement.

AIM

This study sought to determine if preceptor training influences nursing students' satisfaction with the quality of their clinical placement and their perceptions of preceptor competence.

DESIGN

Prospective longitudinal survey.

METHODS

A total of 189 nursing students from two Nursing Training Colleges in the north of Ghana were surveyed before and after a preceptor training program using two validated questionnaires. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and paired samples t-test.

RESULTS

There was a statistically significant increase in student satisfaction with the quality of their clinical placement following preceptors' participation in a preceptor training workshop (t(149) = 4.567, p < 0.001). Student perception of preceptor competence also had a statistically significant improvement following preceptor training, increasing from an average of 136.96 ± 21.45 at baseline to 156.49 ± 25.403 in the follow-up survey (t(142) = 6.731, p < 0.001). Furthermore, the percentage of students who perceived preceptors to be highly competent increased from 23.3 % at baseline to 53.8 % following the preceptor training.

CONCLUSION

The findings from this study indicate that when supported by preceptors who themselves have had training in effective preceptorship, students are more likely to report higher quality clinical placement and perceive preceptors to be more competent.

Students' evaluation of professional experience placement quality in a pre-registration nursing programme: A cross-sectional survey

AIM

To evaluate the quality of student nurses' experiences and overall satisfaction with professional experience placements at a regional Australian University.

BACKGROUND

Professional experience placements are a crucial component of pre-registration nursing programs. However, the absence of standardised approaches to assess placement quality has created uncertainty on what constitutes a high-quality placement from a student's perspective.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional survey.

METHODS

A descriptive cross-sectional survey was administered online to 800 second and third year undergraduate nursing students at an Australian university. The survey contains demographic questions (e.g., year of study, placement specialty, duration, setting and geographic location), a validated Placement Evaluation Tool and free-text comments. The Placement Evaluation Tool is a 20-item questionnaire that measures two key factors: clinical environment (factor 1), learning support (factor 2) and overall satisfaction of students' learning experiences during a professional experience placement. A descriptive analysis was conducted to evaluate the student's overall experience and satisfaction. Multivariate linear regression was used to assess the relationship between the quality of the student experience and demographics and presented as beta coefficient (β) and confidence interval (CI). Free-text comments were thematically analysed.

RESULTS

A total of 1104 survey responses were received (as students may rate more than one placement), with an estimated 71% response rate. Most responses (60.3%) were third-year students. Most students experienced high-quality placements, reflected in the overall positive placement experience (PET item 1-19 score: mean 85.9 out of 95) and high student satisfaction (PET item 20: mean 8.53 out of 10). Multiple linear regression analyses revealed that the third year of study and public facilities were independent predictors of positive student experiences (β: 2.61, 95% CI: 0.75, 4.47 and β: 3.72, CI: 0.90, 6.55, respectively). Further analysis of PET items related to factor 1 and factor 2 revealed that high positive experiences in public facilities may be due to the higher learning support (β: 2.54, CI: 0.80, 4.27). Three main themes were perceived to be important to students' professional experience: (i) staff and facilitator attitudes, (ii) learning opportunities and (iii) a team-based learning environment.

CONCLUSIONS

Most students reported high-quality placement experience and high satisfaction; however, a lack of learning support may contribute to less positive student experiences. This finding emphasises the importance of collaboration between clinical facilities and educational institutions to enhance the student's placement experience.

Core competencies for Registered Nurse preceptors: A mapping review of quantitative studies

AIMS

To review the contemporary international literature on nurse preceptor competencies and map the components and their descriptors.

REVIEW METHODS

A mapping review.

DATA SOURCES

Articles reporting evidence-based and validated Registered Nurse (RN) preceptor competencies published between 2013 and 2022 were identified. Open access databases such as PubMed and Google Scholar and the library healthcare databases Scopus and CINAHL were searched. The authors collaborated at each review stage that included screening, article selection, tabulation, mapping and preparation of findings.

RESULTS

Seven quantitative studies were included. Three were based on existing nurse preceptor competency data sets and four were purposely developed using collaborative research methods. Each study validated findings through a survey of nurse stakeholders. Three key competencies shared across all studies were 'facilitating teaching', 'being a role model' and 'evaluating student's performance'. The number of competency categories ranged from three to 10 and the accompanying item descriptors from 9 to 83. Although terminology describing data sets was inconsistent, similarity was seen across competency domains.

CONCLUSION

The contemporary nursing preceptor role is considered an emerging specialist education role. The results offer a set of validated preceptor competency descriptors, applicable to practice, that provide insight into ways employers may recruit, support and retain nurse preceptors.

IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION

The mapped results provide a concise summary of nurse preceptor competency research internationally that can inform further development of RN preceptors.

IMPACT

This review addresses the lack of consensus around nursing preceptor competencies for clinical supervision of undergraduate nursing students. Seven competency domains were identified describing key preceptor role capabilities. The domains Facilitator', 'Role model' and 'Evaluator' featured across the included studies: 'More than 300 competency descriptors were reported'. Our review results could better prepare RN preceptors for their important role. Employers of RN preceptors could use the results to design performance competencies that may enhance nursing preceptorship.

REPORTING METHOD

This review adheres to the PRISMA-ScR EQUATOR guidelines as the recommended reporting method for mapping reviews.

Pre-assessment judgement framework for judging nursing students' performance in clinical placements: A qualitative case study

AIM

This study aims to better understand and articulate the pre-assessment judgement processes commonly used by experienced clinical facilitators when assessing nursing students undertaking clinical placement.

BACKGROUND

In the Australian context, clinical facilitators are registered nurses who primarily educate, monitor, support and assess groups of nursing students on clinical placements without carrying a patient load. The duties and scope of clinical facilitators may differ across international and institutional contexts. However, the core concepts of this paper will be relevant despite these differences as the importance of facilitators' confidence in making pre-assessment judgements of individual nursing student performance while on placement is universally acknowledged. Nursing students are often assessed on their provision of safe practice, patient task-orientated outcomes and professional behaviour. Clearly articulating performance judgements prior to formal assessment is vital to ensure progressive learning of students. Literature reports that many clinical facilitators lack confidence in the art of making performance judgements and call for targeted professional training and support in the clinical assessment of nursing students. To better understand and address this problem, clinical facilitators need a shared understanding of how individual nursing students' pre-assessment performance judgements are reached during placement experiences.

DESIGN

A qualitative case study was used, with data collected via semi-structured interviews. Fifteen Australian clinical facilitators participated, each with over six months of experience.

METHODS

Interview transcripts were analysed through an interpretive-constructivist paradigm. Thematic analysis revealed themes that were then deductively described through the application of the Cognitive Continuum Theory.

RESULTS

Six modes of pre-assessment judgement emerged from the data synthesis process: 1) Recognising patterns, 2) Acknowledging uncertainty, 3) Understanding key players, 4) Verifying or refuting the information, 5) Benchmarking performance and 6) Contextualising information. Each mode is validated through the deductive application of the Cognitive Continuum theory.

CONCLUSIONS

Understanding how experienced clinical facilitators make pre-assessment performance judgements has the potential to increase confidence in performance judgement decisions. In turn, confidence in judgements will increase clinical facilitator's capacity to give nursing students feedback that can be explained and justified. The pre-assessment judgement framework also provides a preliminary model for teaching the art of reaching accurate performance judgements to clinical educators in disciplines beyond nursing.

An Integrative Review of Response Rates in Nursing Research Utilizing Online Surveys

BACKGROUND

Online surveys in nursing research have both advantages and disadvantages. Reaching a sample and attaining an appropriate response rate is an ongoing challenge and necessitates careful consideration when designing a nursing research study using an online survey approach.

OBJECTIVE

In this study, we aimed to explore response rates and survey characteristics of studies by nurse researchers that used online methodologies to survey nurses, nursing students, and nursing faculty.

METHODS

We conducted an integrative review of research studies that used online surveys for data collection published from 2011 to 2021. We examined response rates and survey characteristics such as recruitment method, use of incentives, question type, length of survey, time to complete the survey, and use of reminders.

RESULTS

Our review included 51 studies published by nurses with target samples of nurses, nursing students, or nursing faculty. Study sample sizes ranged from 48 to 29,283, the number of respondents ranged from 29 to 3,607, and the response rates ranged from 3.4% to 98%, with an average of 42.46%. Few patterns emerged regarding recruitment or other factors to enhance response rates; only five studies used incentives.

CONCLUSION

Response rates to online surveys are unlikely to reach the rates seen in older mailed surveys. Researchers need to design online survey studies to be easily accessible, concise, and appealing to participants.

Assessing the quality of nursing clinical placement: A quantitative cross-sectional study

AIM

To evaluate the quality of nursing clinical placement among nursing students.

DESIGN

This is a descriptive cross-sectional study.

METHODS

Two hundred eighty two nursing student completed self-administered, online questionnaires. The questionnaire assessed participants' socio-demographic data, and the quality of their clinical placement.

RESULTS

The students had a high mean score for the overall satisfaction of their clinical training placement with high mean score for the item of "patient safety was fundamental to the work of the units" and the item of "I anticipate being able to apply my learning from this placement," while the lowest mean score was related to "This placement was a good learning environment" and "Staff were willing to work with students." Patient or Public Contribution: Quality of clinical placement is critical for improving the everyday quality of care for patients who are in desperate need of caregivers with professional knowledge and skills.

Factors Influencing Nursing Student Learning During Clinical Placements: A Modified Delphi Study

BACKGROUND

Factors identified as important to nursing student clinical learning include the environment, the clinical facilitator, and student human factors.

METHOD

A modified Delphi study generated clinical nurse educators' expert consensus of the importance of factors that influence student learning during clinical placements. Short-answer questions exploring facilitation of learning were also provided.

RESULTS

Thirty-four nurse educators participated in the first round, and 17 nurse educators participated in the second round. Final consensus of at least 80% agreement was reached for all factors. Enablers of student learning included a positive workplace culture, student attitude, and clear communication between facilitator and student. Barriers to student learning included lack of time for teaching, short placement duration, and poor student and facilitator attitude.

CONCLUSION

Further investigation is needed on how these factors are addressed during placements including a review of the quality of resources provided to students and clinical facilitators for student learning. [J Nurs Educ. 2023;62(6):333-341.].

Perceptions of being a registered nurse (PRN): development and validation of a survey tool

BACKGROUND

Nursing students enter nursing programs with idealistic perceptions of what it is to be a nurse. Upon graduation, many find these perceptions mismatched with the actual nurse's role. This can lead to discontentment in their chosen career. These issues highlight the importance of nursing students developing an understanding of the nurse's role during their undergraduate nursing education. One way to accomplish this is to assess perceptions and address them accordingly during the nursing program. Survey tools assessing perceptions of nursing exist but lack contemporary and multicultural foci.

AIM

To develop a feasible, valid, and reliable survey tool to identify nursing students' perceptions of being a nurse.

DESIGN/METHODS

In Phase 1, a literature review and Nominal Group Technique meetings were used to generate primary survey items. Phase 2 included a pre-pilot and online pilot testing of the Perceptions of being a Registered Nurse (PRN) survey tool with 797 nursing students across all year levels at three Australian Universities.

RESULTS

The 34-item PRN survey tool uses a five-point Likert scale to measure nursing students' perceptions of nursing, including factors influencing a nurse's well-being, attributes and qualities of nurses, the role of the nurse, and nursing professionalism. The Item-Content validity index was high (> 0.78), and the inter-item correlation validity was identified by Pearson's product-moment coefficient of r = .712. Internal reliability was confirmed with a Cronbach's alpha = 0.83. Based upon the participation completion rate, the survey tool was deemed applicable and feasible. The majority of respondents believed that nurses have altruistic attributes; however, perceptions of nursing varied significantly when rating factors influencing the physical, emotional, and social well-being of a nurse. In later stages of training, respondents were more likely to agree that nursing is physically and emotionally demanding and that nurses experience social isolation due to shift work, finding it difficult to achieve a work-life balance.

CONCLUSIONS

The PRN survey tool was found to be valid, reliable, and feasible. Future use and outcomes from PRN assessments may lead to changes to nursing curricula that enhance nursing students' perceptions of nursing.

Nursing students' experiences and expectations of clinical learning: A qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Clinical learning is an important component of nursing education that can support the development of competence. Nursing students have expectations before clinical learning, however if these expectations are not matched with their experiences, then development can be hampered.

OBJECTIVE

To explore nursing students' expectations and experiences of their clinical learning experiences.

DESIGN

Qualitative descriptive design.

SETTINGS

The study was conducted at a large teaching hospital in Namibia.

PARTICIPANTS

Fifteen first to fourth year undergraduate nursing students who were allocated to a teaching hospital in Namibia.

METHODS

The participants were purposively sampled among the teaching hospital's undergraduate nursing students. Data were collected between June to November 2021 through in-depth, semi-structured interviews that lasted between 35 and 45 min each. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS

The data analysis identified four themes: clinical outlook and role, supporting/role modelling, clinical teaching and learning, and linking theory and practice.

CONCLUSION

The expectations and experiences of nursing students regarding the clinical environment were mixed. The findings demonstrated the need to moderate students' expectations, as well as to reorganize the clinical learning environment to enhance students' learning. Further studies should look at the standardization of student expectations based on the context of their clinical learning environment, and how this can improve learning experiences.

Nursing students' experience during their practicum in an intensive care unit: A qualitative meta-synthesis

Background

Clinical practicum provides nursing students with more opportunities to learn their professional knowledge and develop basic nursing skills. Intensive care unit (ICU) is often used as one of the clinical practicum departments for nursing students. Due to the characteristic fast-paced working environments, high acuity of patient care, and technical complexities of an ICU, nursing students are more susceptible to experiencing stress and lack of confidence in these settings, which hinders their professionalization and affects patient care.

Objective

The study aimed to summarize and evaluate the nursing students' experience in an ICU during their practicum and to provide a supportive ICU clinical practicum environment for them. One of the main objectives was to increase the ICU specialty nurse reserve and improve nursing care in the ICU.

Methods

The following databases were searched for related qualitative publications in Chinese and English by systematic searches across January 2022, including the nursing students' experience in ICU during their practicum: PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and so on. The qualitative meta-synthesis was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) recommendations. Two reviewers independently selected these studies and carefully evaluated the quality of each study. Meta-synthesis was then used to summarize the results.

Results

Eleven sub-themes and 3 themes were revealed in 9 studies: challenges of clinical practicum in the ICU, the expectation of support from multiple sources, and the importance and necessity of practicum in the ICU.

Conclusion

Performing one's practicum in ICU was considered by the nursing students in this review as a beneficial practicum despite the challenges involved. The appropriate guidance and monitoring should be given by hospital managers and college educators.

Exploring the contribution of clinical placement to student learning: A sequential mixed methods study

BACKGROUND

Increasing demand and limited supply of clinical placements in nursing underscore the need to better understand the role of clinical placements in students' learning. Identifying pedagogically rich activities that support work place learning alongside factors that influence educational outcomes has the potential to optimise professional placement experiences.

OBJECTIVE

To explore student nurses perceptions of the value of nursing clinical placements to their learning.

DESIGN AND METHODS

A descriptive research design was employed using a sequential mixed method approach. A cross-sectional student survey captured students' perceptions of work integrated learning based on the perceived contribution of a pre-determined list of activities undertaken on clinical placement.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

Four Australian universities took part. Participants included students undertaking entry to practice programs.

RESULTS

Four hundred and sixty-nine students completed the survey. Thirty-eight students participated in 12 focus groups. Participants rated PRA including interacting and time with patients and performing assessments as the most useful activities. Less useful, were activities that took them away from the patient.

CONCLUSIONS

To maximise workplace learning, consideration must be given to ensuring students are presented with goal directed activities that support learning and are focused on an expanding scope of practice with opportunities to discuss and engage with staff.